Dans17

Very happy with my 2017 TLX so far, but wanted to see if others noticed one minor annoyance.

I think the DCT paired with the 2.4 engine is a great combination, but in when in typical suburban traffic driving in 8th gear at around 45 mph (1300 rpm or so) do you notice the engine seems to "lug" when asking for slight acceleration or climbing a small hill? This situation doesn't cause a downshift, so the car remains in 8th and mildly unhappy sounds come from under the hood and there is a bit of vibration.

This is something I absolutely avoid when driving a manual transmission but there's no easy out with the Acura - even a downshift with the toggle buttons will hold a lower gear for a second or two.

I expect this is normal behavior driven by a quest for fuel economy but wanted to see if this was common. Thanks!

BEAR-AvHistory

The gear is too high for local driving. If you want quicker response to need to use 2000 RPM as a minimum or a lower gear even if the auto will shift it that high on its own. More then likely 8th @ 1300 was a mileage maker for the EPA fuel economy tests rather then a "drivability" gear.

FWIW I have 370WHP & 370FT LBS in my daily driver. Set in comfort it will hold about 5th or 6th gear at those speeds. I don't see 8th on an automatic basis under 75/80mph

svtmike

Selecting another shift mode may help, especially if you are running around in Econ mode.

theredia92

Try setting the IDS to SPORT. Doing this will make the throttle mapping more aggressive and the transmission more willing to downshift out of its overdrive gears.

Dans17

[QUOTE=theredia92;16131326]Try setting the IDS to SPORT. Doing this will make the throttle mapping more aggressive and the transmission more willing to downshift out of its overdrive gears.[/QUOTE

I should have mentioned I drive the car only in "Sport" mode. Other modes seem lifeless.

theredia92

If thats the case I would say you should make sure that your transmission is running the latest software. See TSB 17-015. That TSB not only fixed the "bump when coming to a stop" but also changed the way my TLX preformed in all IDS modes. If you find that you are running the latest update then the only other advice I have is not being afraid to give the car more aggressive throttle inputs. If you feel that the transmission is not downshifting when you want it too, a quick jab of the throttle should wake things up. I often find myself next to someone who has no problem holding a phone to their head, but cant seem to figure out how to hold their car in their lane. In those instances, half throttle usually drops the transmission 3 or 4 gears and gives me plenty of passing power.

BEAR-AvHistory

Agree, it you are lugging in Sport you might want to have the car checked out. I know in comfort I can get a slight buzz, a feeling in my hands through the steering wheel, under certain road conditions. Moving the stick left into Sport will drop the car a gear or two & the feeling is gone.

What I am feeling is the car right on the edge of knock (lugging) & the system dropping some timing out. The gears shifting down raises the RPM above the point where load will induce knock at a given road speed.

Dans17

Thanks for the comments. I took it to my dealer and it was proclaimed "normal". As I didn't have the downshift bump when coming to a stop that was the reason for TSB 17-015, the dealer wouldn't apply the software update as it could "...make things worse...". So looks like I'll have to live with it.

One suggestion for Acura, in the unlikely event you're listening: how about holding a lower gear as long as the "-" button is held rather than cancelling the downshift as soon as the car stops accelerating. It's pretty clumsy to change IDS modes back and forth

drinaldis

Is there a way to tell which SW version is on your car??

Dans17

I don't believe there's a way for we civilians to tell, but your friendly neighborhood Acura dealer can do so easily.

mapleloaf

One conveniently placed button seems simple to me, although I guess a rotary knob with 4 settings might be easier, but bulkier. If you always drive in Sport, do you have it as your default setting on start-up?
I use all settings, depending upon weather and driving conditions. I start in Eco, then usually normal, and frequently Sport as the engine and tranny warm up. I do love the 8 speed DCT and find that the acceleration for passing is excellent given the 206 HP. I have not had all the updates as some are not available in Canada, but it's been some time since I had the downshift 2-1 bump.

noclue02

They told me the same thing when I first brought in mine for the same reason. Everything is "normal" to them. After several visit and some phone calls to Acura Relation, they finally get it fixed and applied the update that fixed the issue. I had issue with the rain sensing wiper, they said they cannot duplicate it so it normal. I got it recorded and they just shut up and replaced a new sensor. Of course it still didn't fix it as the director told me that sensor is junk. lol

fiatlux

I noticed the same thing in normal mode. The computer keeps the revs way too low, and the car feels like it's lugging below 2000rpms, which is why I keep the car in sport mode 100% of the time. I haven't noticed any issues in sport mode, so I'd say what you're experience isn't normal.